From left, bridgit’s Alannah Bird & Lauren Hasegawa.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended our first-ever ‘Speak & Connect‘ event on Nov. 6. We definitely feel the momentum building here at BuiltWorlds and the electricity that arrived with you all that evening is still illuminating our offices today. Stay tuned for news of more future events here that will keep you engaged and abreast of all the latest information on industry invention and innovation that we can bring to your inbox.

For now, we’d like to thank our featured speakers: David Hillman of Navistar, a self-described “knuckle-dragging truck guy” excited about the road ahead, and structural engineer Lauren Hasegawa, co-founder of Bridgit, an onsite problem-solver dedicated to improving project communication and efficiency. Hasegawa shared her insights in an upbeat technology forecast for 2015 that left our audience feeling energized and enthused about the future of our resurgent industry. To leverage that optimism, however, industry leaders will have to be careful not to allow themselves to fall behind and find themselves on the wrong side of an emerging ‘tech divide’.

Among the insights she shared:

Fab ‘phablets’ are coming! Smartphones plus interactive tablets will combine functionalities and save steps on job sites wherever speed and efficiency are valued;
‘Wearables’ will multiply. From Google Glass to Myo armbands, new devices are making it easier than ever ‘to see what you get’, communicate clear instructions in real-time, and inventory equipment and supplies more accurately;
Apps will improve teamwork. Subs lacking the tech resources to keep up with GCs and A/E’s will still be able to access project information via email and “never have to download anything.”

Finally, BuiltWorlds also would like to thank our event sponsors for helping to make the evening so special: Hard Hat Hub; irisVR; .build, the digit group; table XI; SoCore Energy; Ozinga; MasterGraphics, and ‘1130’.